Falling for the Rancher Father (Cowboys of Eden Valley, 6) - Softcover

Buch 7 von 10: Cowboys of Eden Valley

Ford, Linda

 
9780373282623: Falling for the Rancher Father (Cowboys of Eden Valley, 6)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0373282621 ISBN 13: 9780373282623
Verlag: Love Inspired Historicals, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

The Daddy Dilemma 

Widower Abel Borgard has his hands full raising twins and establishing a homestead. Mercy Newell's offer to care for his son and daughter seems like the perfect solution. And though it takes no time for Mercy to steal his children's hearts, Abel's is another story, because he's a single father set on stability and she's a wild-at-heart beauty searching for adventure. 

Joining a Wild West show as a trick rider is Mercy's dream. She never foresaw the joy she'd find caring for Abel's children. The rugged widower hardly trusts her yet. But by the first snowfall, there could be a new family—and new love—in Eden Valley…. 

Cowboys of Eden Valley: Forging a future in Canada's West country

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Linda Ford lives on a ranch in Alberta, Canada. Growing up on the prairie and learning to notice the small details it hides gave her an appreciation for watching God at work in His creation. Her upbringing also included being taught to trust God in everything and through everything—a theme that resonates in her stories. She and her husband raised fourteen children—ten adopted. She currently shares her home with her husband, a grown son and a live-in paraplegic client.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Eden Valley Ranch, Alberta, Canada
Fall 1882

She was gone.

His heart slammed against his ribs. He scanned the entire clearing again just to make sure but she wasn't there.

"Allie." Abel Borgard yelled his daughter's name. One minute ago the nine-year-old sat on the chair by the cabin. He'd warned her to stay there while he unloaded the supplies, but now she'd disappeared. "It's not like her," he complained aloud. Ladd, her twin brother, was a different matter. He'd set off exploring the moment they'd alighted from the wagon. Abel had warned him to stay nearby, but it didn't worry him when Ladd got out of sight. The boy had learned at a young age to be self-reliant. Allie, on the other hand, needed rest and protection. The doctor's warning reverberated through Abel's brain. "She's extremely fortunate to have survived scarlet fever, especially under the circumstances."

"Allie." He didn't bother calling this time, just muttered the word under his breath. He again turned full circle, studying his surroundings. The tiny cabin would provide temporary shelter until he could erect a larger one, which he had to do before winter. The chill in the air reminded him time was short.

The trees, a nice mix of spruce and aspen, were far enough from the buildings to allow plenty of sunshine to reach the living quarters yet provide protection and privacy. The mountains rose to the west in all their fall majesty.

He completed his inspection of the surroundings but saw no little girl. Not so much as a hint of the blue dress she wore.

Abel understood the doctor's warning. Abel had come home from a three-month absence as he sought work to discover his wife had left days before, abandoning the then eight-year-olds to care for themselves. He'd found them huddled together, hungry and afraid. According to what he could get from the children, Allie had been sick even before Ruby left. Though in all fairness, Ruby likely hadn't known at that point it was anything more than a chill. Perhaps she hadn't even meant to leave them for more than a night but she'd fallen into the river and drowned. He liked to believe it had simply been misfortune, but he guessed she'd spent too much time in the back room of the saloon sharing drinks.

He strained to catch any sound of the children. Wasn't there a thud to his right…like distant horse hooves? Every nerve in his body tensed. An intruder? Were the children in danger?

The doctor had left Abel with no misconceptions as to the seriousness of Allie's situation. "I fear she will have damaged her heart. You'll need to limit her activities for the rest of her life or…" At this point, he'd shaken his head as if expecting the worst.

Abel had vowed on the spot that Allie would be treated as gently as a fragile china doll. He couldn't lose her. If anything happened to her he would never forgive himself. Any more than he forgave himself for the fact the children had been abandoned by his wife while he went in search of work. Ruby had never wanted to settle down and from the beginning had found the children a heavy burden, while Abel discovered they gave him reason to leave off being a wastrel. He regretted having started down that wayward path in the first place. The only good thing to come of it was his children and his determination to live a responsible, careful life from now on. He was twenty-nine years old and would devote the rest of his life to the well-being of his children. Never again would he allow his foolish emotions to lead him down the slippery path into the arms of a woman. Any woman. He would not risk his children's health and happiness by trusting a woman to settle down and be wife and mother.

Another thud. No mistaking the sound. There was a horse in the nearby clearing. His heart thumped him in his ribs hard enough to cause him to catch his breath.

He broke into a gallop and headed for the spot.

If anything happened to either of the twins…

He saw Allie ahead, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped together as if she tried to contain some emotion. Already her cheeks had turned rosy-a sure indication of her excited state. A danger sign.

He raced toward her and scooped her into his arms.

He brushed strands of her long blond hair off her face. "Baby, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Papa. Isn't she glorious?" She twisted and pointed.

Abel jerked his gaze from his precious daughter and followed the direction she indicated. His eyes lit on a woman who reminded him of those he'd seen in saloons. Only instead of bright-colored, revealing dresses, she wore a dark red shirt, fringed gloves and riding pants. It wasn't the clothes that brought those other women to mind-it was the look of sheer abandon on her face. Her mahogany-colored hair rippled down her back, held in place by a small cowboy hat secured under her chin. She sat on a beautiful palomino gelding.

She waved a hand over her head and the horse reared on its back legs.

Abel clutched Allie tight. "She's going to be hurt."

"Oh, no." Allie's voice was round with awe. "She does it on purpose. She's a trick rider. She's going to join a Wild West show."

"She is, is she?" The gal made a beautiful picture of horse and rider but she posed a threat to his children if she hung about, filling Allie's head with admiration.

The horse returned to all fours and clapping caught Abel's attention. Ladd stood on the other side of the horse, his eyes round with awe. "Can you show me how to do that?"

"It's not hard." The woman's voice rang with humor and what he could only explain as love of life.

That was all well and good. He had no objection to her joining a Wild West show, loving life or doing dangerous things on back of a horse, so long as she stayed away from his kids.

"Can you show me?" Ladd asked. "Sure thing. All you do-"

Abel crossed the clearing to clamp his hand on Ladd's shoulder. The boy jerked, surprised, no doubt, at the sudden appearance of his father. Hopefully he was also feeling a little guilty at having brought Allie out to the woods when she was supposed to rest. "Ladd, take your sister back to the cabin. Allie, you know you shouldn't be here."

Allie patted him on the cheek. "I'm okay, Papa. You worry too much."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I only want you both to be safe." He set his daughter on her feet, patted them both on the back and sent them on their way. He didn't turn until they were out of sight.

Sucking in air, he tried to calm the way his insides rolled and bucked at how this woman had intruded on his hope of peace and quiet. He didn't want to say anything he'd later regret, so he pushed aside his inner turmoil as he slowly faced the woman. "You're trespassing."

She lounged in her saddle as if she meant to spend her entire day there. "I think you are mistaken. This land belongs to Eddie Gardiner. He's given me permission to be here."

"That might have been so at one time, but I've rented the cabin and the surrounding land from Mr. Eddie Gardiner." He planned to raise cows. His ranch would be insignificant compared to the Eden Valley Ranch, but it was all he wanted. Besides- "I want peace and quiet for my children." At the cold way she studied him, his resolve mounted a protest. "I don't want them learning reckless ways. Nor do I want my daughter overexcited by witnessing your activities. What you do in your own time and space is your...

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Verlag
Love Inspired Historicals
Erscheinungsdatum
2014
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0373282621
ISBN 13 
9780373282623
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
288
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Verantwortliche Person
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